Thursday

Nov 22, 2018 at 6:33 AM

Boston Ballet dancers from Russia, China and Spain could easily perform their countries' national dances that Clara delightfully watches in the second half of "The Nutcracker." But that would contradict artistic director Mikko Nissinen's commitment to breaking down boundaries between people of different nationalities.

“Borders don’t exist for me in the arts – it’s one round globe," said Nissinen, who is from Finland and whose 65-member company has dancers from 16 countries. "It's very important for me that the company mirrors society. We ask so much from our dancers, so they need to have an open mind to be able to handle many different styles and to see how differences can make their lives richer."

Ji Young Chae, who dances the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and other roles in "The Nutcracker," which runs Nov. 29 to Dec. 30, said she did not have the exposure to such a variety of dancers in South Korea, where she trained.

"When I came to America, I saw so many international dancers," said Young Chae, who joined the company in 2011 and was promoted to principal this year. "Even though they're dancing the same ballet, every dancer has a different color and I learn from them. That's the thing I'm most grateful for."

To create a company where 36 percent of the dancers come from outside the United States, Nissinen has had to be patient. Of the five dancers who joined the company in 2018, four are Americans and one is Korean.

“The whole visa situation has gotten much more complicated and unpredictable,” he said. “It takes times and there can be huge delays.”

Matthew Slattery, an Australian who came to the Boston Ballet in 2014 from the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company, said he believes his creativity has flourished because he has worked so closely with people who have different upbringings, training and worldviews.

"As a dancer, I'm always looking for inspiration," he said. "It's almost like shopping. I can say, 'I like the way he does this and I'm going to work with him on this step.' It's a safe environment where I can pull from the people around me."

Slattery will perform the Russian and Spanish dances, as well as Drosselmeyer, The Mouse King and other roles. He especially likes the boisterous Russian dance with its leaps and spins and trio who play off each other.

"It builds this infectious response from us and the audience and it snowballs," he said.

While the national dances express traditions, Nissinen this year changed his Chinese dance choreography to eliminate what he felt were stereotypes. The last significant change was in 2012 when the production received new sets and costumes by Robert Perdziola.

"I conceived a more neutral Chinese dance, so to say,” he said. "It’s important that these (national) dances are not caricatures.”

Another noticeable change this year is that recently promoted second soloist Hannah Bettes, 22, will join three younger girls as Clara, as well as perform the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy, Demi-Snowflake and Demi-Flower. The other Claras are Emma Blake, 14, from New Jersey; Emily Kneussle, 15, from New York; and Mia Steedle, 17, from Weston. All are in the Boston Ballet's Pre-Professional Program, where 75 percent of the students come from outside metro-Boston and from other states and countries.

While a Boston Ballet company member rarely dances as Clara, an adult dancer always did when Bettes danced with the Royal Ballet in London, she said.

"That's not foreign to me, and luckily we have a great costume shop who is working hard to make me look as young as possible," said Bettes, who grew up in Florida and joined the Boston Ballet in 2015. "It's a humbling and sweet experience to rehearse with the younger girls, because they're looking at me admiringly and I'm literally just one of them. And it's sort of nostalgic because I was Clara when I was 12 and 'The Nutcracker' is what made me fall in love with ballet and want to dance professionally."

Nissinen said he knows the impact of "The Nutcracker" and never thinks of it as routine, even though his company performs it every year for four-and-a-half weeks.

“It’s hard technically, so we use it as an opportunity to develop the company and make everyone a better dancer,” he said. “And we take it very seriously because for many people in the audience it’s a gateway into our art form.”